Drug therapy

• What are the types of drugs used to treat addiction?

  Aversives

  Agonists

  Antagonists
• What do aversives do?


  Produce unpleasant effects when the individual takes a drug
• What do agonists do?


  Bind to the neuron receptors and activate them, producing a similar effect to the drug

  Someone is weaned off the drug
• What do antagonists do?


  Bind to receptors and block the effects of the drug, preventing it from having the addictive effect
• What biological therapy can be used for nicotine addiction?

  Nicotine replacement therapy
• What is nicotine replacement therapy?


  A method to help people quit smoking by providing nicotine through means other than cigarettes, such as gum or patches

  Someone is weaned off the drug
• What can be used to treat gambling addiction?

  Opioid antagonists
• What are opiod antagonists?


  Enhance the release of GABA, which reduces the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens

  This reduces cravings for gambling as no reward is felt
• What is some research support for drug therapy for nicotine?

  Stead (2012) - nasal spray is most effective, with Ps still abstaining 6 months later
• What are the side effects of nicotine replacement therapy?


  Stomach issues, dizziness, headaches
• What are the side effects of opiod antagonists?


  Nausea, vomiting
• Why do people give up with therapy?

  Side effects are too difficult to manage
• How do individual differences affect drug therapy?


  Drugs won’t work in the same way for everyone